


Bellum

by ThunderAirborne



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Multi, Trans Character, female!Edward
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2016-06-16
Packaged: 2018-07-15 12:25:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7222252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThunderAirborne/pseuds/ThunderAirborne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eden loved her brother more than anything. She would have razed mountains if it meant that she could protect him. The one thing her mother had taught her as a child was that it was her job to protect Alphonse.<br/>So when the draft came in, what else was she to do?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bellum

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ShanaStoryteller](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShanaStoryteller/gifts).



> I saw ShanaStoryteller's idea for a Mulan Au and this happened.  
> I was supposed to be writing Dracori but then I wrote more for this than I have for Dracori in almost a year. But hey, it was fun?  
> Much thanks to my beta LightningStarborne, you should go read her fics.

Eden loved her brother more than anything. She would have razed mountains if it meant that she could protect him. The one thing her mother had taught her as a child was that it was her job to protect Alphonse.

So when the draft came in, what else was she to do?

~

It was a gorgeous day, and Eden was sitting in her study (it used to be her dad's but his sorry ass hadn't been here in over a decade, so he could go to hell), reading a book that was probably older than her great grandfather on her mother’s side. The book focused on Advanced Alchemy from Xing and, while interesting, she couldn't make heads or tails of the Xi sensing mentioned throughout the book. What she did understand was that she was not going to think of the war that currently raged in Ishval.

The war that had taken her Aunt and Uncle. The war that only existed because their racist jackass of a Führer wanted all Ishvalans dead. Eden had always believed that the idea of killing someone based on race was ridiculous, which is why she helped Winry hide and heal Ishvalans. 

Eden had been pissed when she found out what Winry was doing, not because she was helping Ishvalans (she was a girl born with a dick, who was she to judge?), but because Winry had thought that she and Al wouldn't help her. And while Eden's job may have been to protect Al, she had to protect Winry too. 

She shook her head when she realized that she had read the same paragraph ten times. As she stood and stretched, she glanced out the window and smiled.

"Hey, Winry!" she called out, sticking her head out the window.

"Come on, Ed!" Winry called back up, "You and Al promised me that you'd help with the grocery shopping today." Ed winced at that; she might like certain kinds of shopping, but grocery shopping was not one of them. Winry didn't like it either so she generally dragged Al and Ed along with her so it was enjoyable, rather than soul crushingly numb.

Eden ran down the stairs, two at a time all the while shouting at Al to get his ass down here. Unlike Ed and Winry, Al didn't actually mind grocery shopping as long as he had Ed and Winry with him. Ed hugged Winry as the door slammed behind her, and she heard Al tell their mom where they were going.

The trip down to town was a fairly quick one and they all laughed about the most recent ridiculous romance novel that Al had read. 

"Okay, who the Hell would fall for that sort of romantic bullshit?" Ed was complaining when they heard a noise from behind them. Ed turned and rolled her eyes. "Not this again..."

Ed and Winry were known to be the cutest girls in Resembool, but that wasn't as great as it seemed when some guys didn't know what "no" meant. 

“Hey, little girl,” a creepy old drunk leered at them. “I betcha that I could show ya a great time,” he slurred, while stumbling towards them. 

"Sorry, not interested." It was Winry who spoke, thinking quick since she could see the fury building in Ed's eyes.

"I could make it worth your while, show you how a real man-" as the man started to reach, very obviously for Eden's breasts, Al decked him. In the face. Al wasn’t a violent person unless his sister or Winry was involved, then he hit as hard as any boxer.

The man stumbled back, holding his nose. Since there wasn't a nearby wall to break his fall, he fell flat on his ass. Nobody moved to help him, which wasn't unusual; everyone who truly knew Winry and Ed knew that the girls were a force to be reckoned with and if they hurt anybody, it was for a good reason.

Despite that incident, the mood was still light as they got their groceries.

During the trip back they were all in a better mood, since they were glad to be finished with their shopping. Ed was laughing at some stupid joke Al was telling when he suddenly stopped dead.

There was a man wearing an Amestrian military uniform walking away from their house.

Ed wasn't stupid; she knew exactly what that meant. They needed soldiers to fight a war, and not enough people wanted to fight for their Führer. Which meant a drafting.

Ed didn't say a word as Winry panicked and ran to her house to see if they had gotten a draft too. It wasn’t likely, though. They had no boys. However, the Elrics had one; Al.

Ed stalked into the kitchen with a scowl on her face. She snatched up the drafting letter and prepared to rip it to shreds.

"Sister,  _ no," _ she heard Al say and Ed could feel the letter get ripped out of her hand, "You can't."

"Like Hell I can't," she growled at him, "You are  _ not _ going to war. You are the least soldier-y person I have ever met. You would get eaten alive."

"I have to, sister. You know what happens if I don't go." Eden set her glower to full force on Al, then turned around a left the house.

"Mom?" Al looked to his mom, hoping to get a solution. He really didn't want to go to war, but they needed to send someone and he wouldn't let Ed go. 

His mother couldn’t look him in the eye.

~

Ed strode into the Rockbell's house like she owned it and Granny Pinako just looked at her and gestured towards the stairs.

Ed walked into Winry's room and just collapsed on her bed.

"He can't do it you know. He's no soldier. Yeah, he can fight but that doesn't mean anything," Eden sighed and ran her hands down her face, desperately wishing that she could do more.

"I know," Winry's voice was gentle, reminiscent of the tone Ed would use after Winry's parents had died, "but it's not like you can go instead."

Ed sat up, an idea forming in her head. "That's it."

"What do you mean- Ed no." Winry gave her old friend a look that could kill. "Trisha and Al would kill you. And you have  _ breasts. _ "

"I could pull it off. Think about it. I already have a dick, all I'd need to do is hide my breasts with bandages and nobody would ever know that Eden Elric was ever a girl, and Al wouldn't have to step foot on a battleground." All Eden wanted was to live her life in Resembool, and maybe find a properly strong husband, but if she had to give that up to save Al, she would do it in a heartbeat. 

"Do you really think that's what Al would want? And pretending to be a guy? Who knows what that'll do to your psyche." She knew Winry had a point, and it would kill her to pretend to be something she’s not, but this was for Al, not her.

"I don't fucking care,” Eden snarled. “I will die before I ever let him step foot onto a battlefield. Winry, do you really think he would come back okay?" Oh god, but she did care, but that wasn’t the fucking  _ point _ .

"Do you that think you will?"

"For Al, I will."

She heard Winry sigh, and in that moment Eden knew she had won.

"I hate you," Winry stated.

Ed gave her a smile and hopped off of Winry’s bed. As she headed downstairs, she told herself that what she was doing was right.

~ 

Dinner that evening was tense. Trisha was obviously upset, and Eden refused to look at Al. 

After though, she spent the evening with her little brother curled against her as she read out loud to him. It was a practice that they had begun long ago, after their dad had left. If they were upset they read together. Eden smiled, and brushed a gentle hand through Al’s hair.

Oh, how she wished that she could tell him that it would be the last time she would tell him goodnight, but they would not let her go if she did.

~

Exactly an hour after she knew Al and her mother were asleep Eden got up. She sneaked into Al's bedroom and grabbed the draft, as well as a couple of changes of clothing. She felt less guilty than she thought she would be about stealing her brother's clothing, but this was to protect him.

As soon as she got her necessary supplies, she slipped through the cover of the dark to Winry's house.

Winry was still up, no shock to Ed. 

Winry was calm as she helped Ed bind her breasts, wishing she had something other than bandages to bind them with. As Ed grabbed her bag to leave, however, Winry snagged her sleeve and pulled her close, crying.

"You're an idiot," Winry sobbed into Ed's shoulder. "If you don't come home, I'll bring you back just so I can kill you myself."

"Yes ma'am," Ed said into her friend’s hair. "Tell them I love them, and that it was my choice."

"Yeah." Winry's voice was a little hoarse. Then she walked over to her desk and grabbed a bag of pills. "Don't forget these."

Winry was a little shocked when Eden shook her head, "No, it’s better if I- I look more like a boy when I don't." Winry's heart broke at the look of utter sorrow at those few words, and prayed to any god that her best friend could come home safely.

“Eden, you still have a penis. You can get away with the rest of it, probably.” Ed felt relief wash through her as she took the pills. “Besides, you’re already hotheaded enough. It’ll get worse without these.” Eden punched Winry’s shoulder, then gave her a tight hug.

Ed slipped out the window and started a light jog toward the train station, knowing the next train to Central was probably leaving in an hour or so.

She couldn't bring herself to regret her decision.

~

 

Eden couldn’t relax on the train. Her clothes felt wrong and she kept shifting in her seat, unable to get comfortable with her body. She didn’t mind the fact that she had a dick. She was still a woman, but hiding her breasts - the one thing that matched her gender - was hard.

She took a deep breath to calm herself. It was almost midnight, so she figured that she might as well get some sleep before the train arrived in central.

~

Winry spent the next day in town, under the pretense of helping Ed come to terms with Al’s drafting. Trisha and Al knew how hard she had taken it, so they accepted the excuse. Winry didn’t like lying to them, but she was not going to let Al go to war. She knew that Al wouldn’t take well to the fact that Ed was going instead, but it was better than knowing what war would do to Al.

All that Winry could ask for was that Ed got home safely, and hopefully sane. 

~

As Eden enlists, she doesn’t tell them about her Alchemy. It’s one thing to fight for her brother, but she refused to sell her soul to the military, because she knows they’ll make her a state Alchemist the moment they know. 

The testing involved to become enlisted is shockingly easy.

Are you healthy? Yes

Do you have a dick? Yes

Go ahead.

She knows there’s female officers in the military, but they are few and far between and Ed wasn’t going to take any chances. Not with her brother’s life.

Soon Eden was headed off to war, and she was pissed when she realized that they were being sent in with no training. They were going to send men who had never seen a gun in their lives to their deaths? She didn’t know what game they were playing but she couldn’t be more grateful for her Teacher.

~

Trisha and Al were not happy, to say the least. 

Trisha, who had been standing by the table, had collapsed and started sobbing. Winry could hear her say  _ my baby, my daughter, oh god _ over and over. Trisha would come around she knew, because Trisha might not have been prepared to let either of her children go, but if either of them was going to survive, it would be Ed, not Al.

It was Al’s reaction that worried Winry. He had started screaming and throwing chairs, eventually breaking the dining table and it broke her heart. 

“IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ME. SHE DIDN’T HAVE TO GET INTO IT, WHY DIDN’T SHE SAY ANYTHING. SHE’S GOING TO DIE. YOU’RE AT WAR, AND I’M  _ HERE, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO HELP YOU???? _ ” 

Then he had collapsed, sobbing out “ _ Ed, Ed. God, please don’t die, I can’t lose you, you stupid self-sacrificing idiot.” _ .

Winry sat on the floor by Al, and pulled him into her arms. He shook and she just shushed him and stroked his hair. Slowly, but surely, he calmed down. 

“She knows we’ll bring her back if she dies so we can kill her ourselves, right?” Al said.

Winry let out a shocked laugh and nodded.

~

Eden looked at the weapon in her hand with disgust. She was sitting in the middle of the desert, in a military encampment, looking far too much like a man and looking at a weapon she knew she would never use.

This place was the home of people she had cared for, fed, and protected. She knows these people, she had known them when she was a child asking about her Aunt’s work, and she knew them now, every time she helped Winry heal their wounds. 

She wasn’t going to kill anyone. Not a single person.

Not the Amestrians of her home, and not the Ishvalans she and her family cared for.

The only people who were wrong in this war were those who relished in killing. She was not going to blame those who were drafted, or even those who chose to be in the army. She certainly was not going to blame the Ishvalans who only wanted to protect their homes from invaders. The only one to blame was the Führer. 

~

The battlefield was hell, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle. The desert was hot and the constant thundering sounds of war eventually became white noise. The smell of blood and sweat was a constant companion. Eden had learned to ignore those constants while staying vigilant, but she did not look forward to returning home and waking up at the slightest sound in the dark. 

The bunks were the most uncomfortable planks of wood she had ever had the displeasure to lay down on, but at least she would never again complain about her nice,  _ cushioned _ bed ever again. 

~

She’d been in the field for three weeks, and she has yet to pull the trigger on her gun once. She doesn’t know how her CO hadn’t realized her refusal to kill anyone, but she was glad. 

Then she meets Maes Hughes.

She was sitting on a crate, cleaning her gun, when a man with glasses and a kind smile that reminded her far too much of Winry’s father, walked up to her.

“You know, Edward Elric, I’ve noticed something interesting about you,” he mused.

Ed froze, then looked up at him. 

“And what is that?” she asked snidely.

“You have not taken a single life,” he declared.

Ed glared at him. “Is there anything wrong with not wanting people to die?” She was a little shocked to see his sad smile.

“You’re on a battlefield, kid. It’s kind of expected to shoot  _ someone _ .”

“Why should I shoot anyone when I really don’t want to be here?” Ed shot back angrily. Hughes’ only response was a sad smile and it was all she could do not to cry.

“Drafted?” The single word was spoken with regret and in that moment Ed knew he chose to be here. The people who chose to be on the battlefield regretted the draft because they knew how hard it was. The drafted? They burned with fury at the mention of it because the ones who chose to be here could never understand fighting a war they didn’t care for. 

“Obviously,” she ground out. 

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” She glared at Hughes.

“You all are, but it’s not like you can do anything about it,” Ed snarled. She stalked away from him without another word. 

~

She didn’t realize how much of a toll the war could take on even those who chose to be there until she met Major Armstrong.

She generally stayed away from the State Alchemists, because she knew there was no way she wouldn’t slip up and mention something only an alchemist would know, and then they would make her be a State Alchemist and she would be the military’s dog forever.

She had been out on a routine patrol when she came across him. He was huddled into himself as if he could block out all the pain and horror of the war if only he tried hard enough. She might not want to be there, but she wasn’t going to leave anyone in that state. 

Ed could practically feel Armstrong stiffen as she slid down the ruined wall beside him. 

“Hi,” she said softly. The man didn’t reply. “What’s wrong? I mean we are fighting a worthless war without any sign of end, but other than that?” 

Armstrong sighed with far too much sorrow in his voice. “I don’t like killing.” The words were said with regret, the words of a man taught that killing was a part of life.

“So?” His head jerked up and he stared at Eden as if she were a strangely done transmutation.

“ _ What _ ?”

“So what if you don’t like killing? Not all of us chose to fight in this stupid war, not even people like you.” The man hadn’t stopped staring at her.

“People like me?”

“People who chose to be in the military. Those who weren’t drafted.” The man held out his hand.   
“Major Alex Armstrong, State Alchemist.” She paused for a moment before taking his hand.

“Lieutenant Edward Elric.”

~

That was when it really hit Ed how much everyone hated this damned war, how even those who chose to be here wished they could be anywhere else. If she looked hard enough she could see the bags under Lieutenant Cl. Hughes eyes, and the weariness in the man’s shoulders.

She regretted how she originally felt about those who chose to be here, because she had thought of all of them as killers, or dogs blindly following their leaders without second thought, but then she had met Hughes and Armstrong, and she realized how wrong she she was. They each had their reasons. Hughes was fighting for his wife, because he believe a military career could support her best.

Armstrong joined because he thought it was for the best, because he wanted to prevent death.

When she had confided her thoughts to Hughes, he had smiled at her and spoken to her in hushed tones.

“Edward, do you know the two alchemists here who are famous for the most Ishvalan deaths caused?” Of course Ed knew. They ripped through Ishval without a thought about the people. Back home far too many came to them bearing the wounds caused by those two alchemist.

“The Crimson Alchemist and the Flame Alchemist,” she spat. She knew Hughes saw her distaste for the two, and was shocked at his next words.

“Personally, I couldn’t care less for Kimblee, he’s a jackass. The Flame Alchemist however? When you meet him, think about what you told me about my reasoning.”

Then he had simply left, and Eden couldn’t be more confused. Mass murders cause the pain and suffering of thousands, and all Hughes could think to tell her was to think about  _ reasoning? _

~

About a week after that particular talk with Hughes, her CO brought her to meet a beautiful young man. When Hughes had first brought the man to meet her she had laughed, because the only thing she could see was a puppy dragging an older dog along for the ride, while the older dog indulged in the puppy’s antics.

When she got a glimpse of the man’s face her mouth went dry. The man was  _ gorgeous _ . There was no other way to put it. He had a strong jaw and his hair obviously could not be bothered to do what the man wanted, and his skin was still pale despite the hot sun beating down on them. God, she hoped the man was straight, or at least bi, because she wanted to climb him like a tree.

“Ed!  _ Ed! _ ” She could not get the image of Hughes being a puppy out of her head, especially when he called her name like that. She wasn’t going to tell him that though. “So, this is a good friend of mine, I think you’ll like him, he’s a bit of a hardass -like you.” The two hardasses in question turned to glare at Hughes. Ed wasn’t about say she was shocked when the man punched Hughes in the shoulder. The he turned to Eden and gave her a polite smile, and,  _ damn _ , if that didn’t turn her insides into so much incoherent goo.

“Roy Mustang.” The man, Mustang, held out his hand to her.

“Edward Elric.” She took his hand, ignoring the fact that, for the first time, the name felt like ash in her mouth. 

“Lovely name. Bit more to the name than the person though.” She furrowed her eyebrows for a moment until-

“Was that a  _ height joke _ , you asshole?” She growled out, and the bastard had the gall to fucking  _ laugh _ .

“Hughes mentioned he had a friend who was touchy about his height.” The bastard was  _ grinning _ and Hughes couldn’t be more wrong; she would never get along with this asshole.

“Shut your perfect face, and don’t shove something I can’t control in mine.” She turned around and stalked towards her tent, fuming. 

What an  _ asshole _ .

~

The damn bastard refused to leave her alone. She had taken to spending her evenings with Hughes or Armstrong after she had become friends with them, and apparently the moment Mustang arrived at this posting Hughes had decided that the man wouldn’t get a moment of peace. Which meant that neither would she.

The man was insufferable; he wouldn’t stop making jokes about her height and in turn she would remind him that, with a face such as his, he would  _ always _ have a job to fall back on. She supposed it was better than throwing a tantrum every time he mentioned that she was shorter than him.

Nevermind the fact that she was of  _ average height _ . Some day Ed would be taller than him, and then she would rub it in his face. See how he liked it.

The biggest problem was that the man was attractive as hell, and he damn well knew it. His stupid perfect face, and his stupid messy hair… Ugh, he was beautiful. As much as she loathed him, she couldn’t deny that. Sometimes the Bastard would smile at Ed, and her stomach would do interesting things. Not to mention certain misbehaving parts of her anatomy.

Another thing that she couldn’t deny was that the man was  _ intelligent _ . Whenever they could talk without insulting each other, that much was obvious. They had gotten into multiple arguments over various subjects, and the Bastard’s points were always intelligent and he argued them very well. This had led to so many hour-long debates that were always finished by Hughes dragging Mustang away to get some sleep.

The thing was… Ed enjoyed it. 

He was beautiful, and there were far too many people who were just that - a pretty face. The Bastard was able to keep up with Ed, which was a thing that far too many people found too difficult to bother with. Though she hated to admit it, the Bastard also wasn’t a complete asshole.

Mustang hated this war as much as - if not more than - Hughes, Ed, and Armstrong did. He never said so, or complained as loudly as Ed did, but she could see it. Every time he was called off to do his job, he looked like a thousand miles of heartbreak. As much as Ed hated the Bastard, she always felt sorry for the broken soul that was called off to be a soldier.

Mustang was far more gentle than he ever wanted to admit. He was always kind to the female soldiers, not harassing them like the other guys did. He had even introduced her to his friend, Riza. They had apparently lived together for a while, and were now good friends. Riza worked with Mustang often, and every time they came back from their duties, Ed would shut up about how Mustang would inevitably sell his body for money and give them a few minutes to calm down from what they had done.

Ed had once overheard a random soldier make an offhand comment about how the Ishvalans were beasts, and he was  _ so  _ very glad to put them down before they spread their disease. Ed had strode towards him, her fist coming up to permanently disfigure this idiot’s face. Then Mustang had appeared and, to Ed’s everlasting surprise, slammed his foot into the man’s knee, and his fist into the man’s crotch.

The knee hadn’t broken (how disappointing), but the man had hit the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Mustang had crouched next to the man, his expression stony and furious (and oh, so beautiful). “The only beast I see here is you, Lieutenant,” the beautiful man had said in that livid, cold, sorrowful voice. “Maybe we should put you down, hmm?” And he had smiled at the man, a savage, almost feral smile. 

The Lieutenant had whimpered and curled into himself. When Mustang had asked if anyone else thought that the Ishvalans were beasts, none of them had stepped forward to challenge him. Ed supposed that they actually wanted their balls for some reason.

~

Despite that bastard being there, Ed always loved it when she and her friends (how strange that they could be friends in a place such as this) sat around a fire and ate and laughed together, trying to forget the pain that surrounded them.

“Back where we’re from,” Hughes had stage whispered to Ed one of those evening, “Roy over there is a bit of a playboy.”

Mustang, being Mustang, had laughed and thrown a rock at Hughes.

Ed couldn’t say that she was surprised. The man was utterly gorgeous, and whenever he smiled it was as if she was sitting in front of a warm fire. It did interesting things to her insides, yes, but if he  _ smiled _ (and she doesn’t mean the smug grin, or smirk, or those small sad ones, she meant the genuine ones) it was absolutely stunning.

So yes, she could see why he was a bit of a playboy.

That didn’t mean that he didn’t surprise her sometimes.

Like the one time that she had once again been reminding him of his impending prostitution, because “you’re beautiful, you bastard. Even I will admit that.”

“You’re beautiful too, Edward,” that bastard had said, and of course he had to go and give her a  _ genuine smile _ .

Ed stared at him for a full minute. Long enough for Hughes and Riza to start asking if she was ok.

“I’m sorry, bastard,” Eden said, “But did you just say that I’m  _ beautiful _ ?”

Yeah, she and Winry may be the most attractive girls Resembool, but this was  _ Mustang _ who thought he was talking to a boy, and was far more attractive than he had any right to be.

Mustang shrugged and smiled at her again. “I know most boys don’t appreciate being called beautiful,” anyone would melt at being called beautiful by Mustang, and if they didn’t they were lying, “but that doesn’t mean you are not beautiful.”

“I call you beautiful all the time, Bastard,” Eden pointed out.

“Yes,” Mustang smirked and suddenly it was light-hearted again. “But I am the most beautiful person alive, so I don’t count.”

“And you wonder why I say that you should sell your body,” Ed griped.

“You would have a better grasp on how much I would make if you knew how good I actually was at my craft,” Mustang said, his voice sultry.

“Don’t try and use your sex appeal on me,” Ed scolded, “It doesn’t work. In fact, if it ever does-” She cuts off by Mustang’s laugh, “What the Hell, you bastard?”

“N-nothing,” The man is laughing too hard to properly speak. Ed is a bit shocked, she had never seen the man  _ really _ laugh but in that moment he was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

_ Oh fuck _

~

Eden spent the next few days avoiding Roy Mustang. She could not fucking believe herself; all this talk about not falling for his charms and she had to fall for the bastard. Not that she was going to let  _ him _ know that, if she did she would never hear the end of it.

The problem is she doesn’t know what his sexuality is, which means he could be gay (which would suck for her) or he could be straight, and she didn’t know what that would mean for her. 

As it turns out, trying to sort your thoughts out on a patrol is a really bad idea, as Eden figures out rather quickly. Nothing really deters you from distraction like nearly getting killed.

As Eden hit the sand, she really regretted going out on this patrol on her own. She clearly remembered Hughes telling her to find a partner, but she had brushed him off. At least she had Teacher’s lessons, unlike so many other of the drafted.

She felt the sand pressing into her face and the ground was hard under her. She could feel whoever had jumped her pressing her into the ground, but when she concentrated she could tell he was only using his body weight and no actual strength. As he shouted at her with words she couldn’t understand, she smiled, then flipped them over, using his own body weight against him.

Her freedom was only temporary, as he was not the only attacker she had. She felt hands grab her and pull her back. Her muscles burned as she struggled against her attackers and tried to escape. She lashed out with a foot and felt it hit the man in front of her. Considering the grunt of pain the man let out, she knew her foot had hit something sensitive. However, her attackers had the advantage of height, and therefore weight, which meant that while she could kick the one who wasn’t holding her, once her feet left the ground the other two made sure she couldn’t get that leverage again.

She kicked the air, trying to hit her attacker again or at least find some leverage, but they had her trapped completely. She felt a moment of blind panic as she realized this might be how she dies - on a routine patrol with no backup, just because she didn’t listen to Hughes. 

_ I’m sorry, Al _

Suddenly she felt a flash of pure, painful heat and she was free. She fell to her knees with a gasp then fell onto her side and she could see her rescuer.

_ Mustang? _

Sure enough, Mustang stood in all his beautiful glory with his (gloved?) hand raised, ready to snap.  As the snap came, so did fire, burning the man she had kicked. She barely glanced at the fire, focussing instead on Mustang, who was beautiful and utterly terrifying. He had mentioned that he was a State Alchemist, but the  _ Flame _ Alchemist? She couldn’t believe that-

“Ed!” Mustang was suddenly crouched in front of her and all she could do was stare, “Are you alright, you’re not hurt?” She didn’t struggle as he looked her over, checking her for any sign of injury.

“You’re the Flame Alchemist,” she finally said, and Mustang looked up at her.

“Yes?” He sounded confused, as if he couldn’t tell why she questioned it.

“ _ You _ are the  _ Flame _ Alchemist. One of the Alchemists known for mass murdering Ishvalans.” She had trouble wrapping her mind around that. As she thought about it, everything she knew about Mustang it suddenly made sense. Every time he came back from the battlefield he was worse than anyone she saw. He looked like Hell every time, and she knew that he didn’t want to fight.

It made sense that if you didn’t want to fight, being known for your ability to mass murder might not sit well with you. It was no wonder he hadn’t told her, since she didn’t hide her hatred for killing.

When she focussed back on the present she saw a look of utter self-loathing and regret in Mustang’s eyes. In that moment she knew that despite all that he had done, she still loved him. The bastard. 

“I’m sorry,” his words were soft and full of pain. “I know how much you hate killing. You must think me a monster.” He laughed, but it was not a nice laugh. It was a bitter laugh, and it was one that seemed to reflect his expression so well. In a flash Eden realized that the man she had assumed that the Flame Alchemist had to be was nothing like the actual man standing before her now, with a thousand miles of heartbreak in his eyes and self-loathing written in every line of his face.

She had seen him come back from the battlefield with an empty expression and hollow eyes thousands of times. Hughes had never told her that Mustang was the Flame Alchemist, but he had certainly told her about how much Mustang utterly loathed his particular hand in the slaughtering of innocents. Anyone could see that, but she hadn’t realized exactly why he might hate himself for it so much.

In that moment, staring at the man’s beautiful, but haunted face, she made her decision. Eden felt Mustang stiffen in shock as she pulled him into a tight, strong hug. 

“Wha-” he started to say, but then just relaxed into her embrace, burying his face in her neck as she clung to him, doing her damndest to give him what little comfort she could in their section of hell.

She pulled back, and was shocked when he clung to her. When he hung his head, she forced him to meet her eyes.

“It’s a fucking war,” she growled, because although she was still taking hormones she could still make her voice take on that growl that she knew would not be ignored, “We have  _ all _ done something we regret. Maybe your sins are bit worse, a bit deeper, but you’re not so fucking special Mustang.”

The look of utter shock, followed by hope made everything worth it. This war, the pain of watching death claim lives all around her,  _ everything, _ was worth it.

~

Mustang carried her back to the encampment, much to her displeasure. She could carry her fucking herself, goddammit! He laughed at her, the bastard, but she was glad that the pain had left his eyes. When his laugh died down he, under no uncertain terms, informed her that despite her obvious masculinity she was most certainly his damsel in distress. 

She felt a flash of pain at his comment about masculinity but she pushed it away, focussing on the warm arms around her. She was as straight as can be and the feeling of a strong man holding her was the best feeling she could imagine. Also, from this position she could feel Mustang’s muscles under his uniform. She was glad that he was carrying her bridal style, else he would have noticed her glaringly obvious problem that came from certain male anatomy.

When they arrived at the encampment, Mustang took her directly to the medical tent. He told the doctor to look her over, and not trust her word at all. Then the bastard left, he had promised to come back, but he left her with a fucking doctor and nothing to distract her. The bastard.

She couldn’t stay angry at him when he came back with a tray of food. It wasn’t great food (they were in a military encampment, good food was for the important people not the dogs), but it was food and she was  _ starving _ . She snatched the tray from him the moment he got close enough for her to do so, which elicited a laugh from him.

“Hungry?” he asked her, and she just glared at him whilst shoving food in her mouth. Not her most lady-like moment, but she couldn’t care less. She was supposed to be a guy right now, so she supposed that she could be forgiven for stuffing her face.

He sat beside her and started eating his own food at a more reasonable pace. The silence was a comfortable one, which shocked her. She would have thought that, considering what she had just learned, the air would be heavy with unspoken questions, but it wasn’t.

“Hawkeye and Maes have been telling me I’m an idiot,” Roy says, breaking the silence. 

“Oh?” She raises an eyebrow. “So have I, but what have you done this time?” She curses him, because his laugh is entirely too warm, and it’s sending pleasant shivers down her spine.

“It’s not what I’ve done, it’s what I  _ haven’t _ done.” Honestly that doesn’t shock her. Inaction can be as stupid as action.

“And what  _ haven’t _ you done?” She asks him in a  teasing tone.

“This,” Roy Mustang says, and kisses her. Eden freezes for a moment, utterly shocked. She had only just discovered that she loved him, but she hadn’t expected  _ this _ . Eden didn’t expect to know the taste of his tongue or how soft his lips were, pressed against hers. She felt him pull away when she didn’t react, but she couldn’t have that, so Eden grabbed the lapels of Roy’s uniform and pulled him closer.

When they finally separated Eden was a little out of breath, and she could feel that he was too. She looked into his dark eyes and she could see her own emotions reflected in those orbs. Ed was shocked, because though she didn’t believe that Roy would kiss her unless he cared about her, she hadn’t realized that he had returned her feelings. Ed had believed that it would just be a pipe dream, that Roy would be something to admire from afar.

“Hello, Ed” Roy said, voice soft and  _ warm,  _ and his lips curled around that small part of her name. His lips were a little swollen and his face was flushed and in that moment, in Eden’s eyes, he couldn’t have been more beautiful.

“Hi,” she said, “That was- um…” she attempted speech, but it was drifting out of reach.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now,” Roy admitted, and Ed’s eyes widened in shock. “Since Maes first dragged me to meet you, and you got all riled up by me calling you short.” For a moment, Ed could only stare up at his stupidly perfect face, trying to figure out whether or not she was dreaming.

“Am I dreaming?” She asked out loud, just to make sure, and he laughed. She couldn’t help but smile as she realized Roy had laughed more in the last twenty minutes than he had in the weeks he had known her.

“No, you are most certainly  _ not _ dreaming. Though, if you want to confirm you can come to my tent this evening.” Ed nodded dumbly and he laughed,  _ again, _ the bastard. She thinks about hitting him, but Ed has never seen Roy so open and happy, so she decides against it. She can only sit there dumbly while he stands up, kisses her, and leaves.

~   
_ Oh shit _

That’s about the only thought going through Ed’s head when she realized what she had  _ not _ told Roy. Her Alchemy, the fact she’s a fucking  _ woman _ . She didn’t even know if he  _ liked _ girls, which would not bode well for Ed when she told Roy about it (and she  _ would _ dammit).

She contemplated not going but… she needed this. This war was dark and long and she didn’t know if she would get out of it alive. Eden knew, more than anything else, that she needed to find something to cling to other than her brother. She needed something that would get her through this damn war, because her brother was safe. The moment she enlisted he was safe. She knew that Al would want her home but she didn’t think that knowledge would help her keep her sanity.

But she and Roy? They were in this together, which meant that everything she went through, Roy went through. When she got home maybe she would have someone who understood. Eden loved Al, and Winry but in the end, when she got home, they would know nothing about what the war was like. Not that she wanted them to, but Roy already knew, so at least she could have that one piece to cling to.

~

Eden approached the tent nervously, her thoughts a whirl of ‘what if’ and ‘maybe’. Maybe Roy wouldn’t mind that she was actually a girl. What if he did? Maybe he would love her anyway. But what if he hated her for lying? Maybe he would hate her when he found out that she did not only have alchemy, but she was a girl. What if he didn’t, and what if he loved her regardless?

Most importantly, maybe Roy liked guys, but what if he didn’t like girls?

Eden didn’t know what she would do then, but she wouldn’t let that stop her from having this tonight. She would have to deal with that particular hell when it came. Eden just wasn’t sure if it would break her or not, but right now, she did love Roy, and Roy loved what he thought Ed was. If he couldn’t deal, then she would give him up. She deserved better.

For a moment she almost choked on the tears that threatened to flow at her thoughts. 

Then she took a deep breath and walked through the tent flap. There was Roy, sitting on his cot, reading. There wasn’t a lot of light in the enclosed area and she was tempted to repeat her Aunt’s constant lecture of “don’t fucking read in low light” but she decided against it. Roy glanced up and noticed Ed, his lips stretching into a warm smile.

“I didn’t think you’d come,” his voice was low and quiet, but so full of fucking  _ hope _ she almost hated herself for all the doubts she had.

“You gave me one of the best kisses I’ve ever had, then expected me to refuse the offer of more?” She gave a grin to match his, before walking over to his cot, and while he put his book down. Eden stood over him for a moment, admiring the beautiful man before her.

“So,” Roy said, a smirk painting his lips, “Are you going to stand there all night or are you going to join me?” She laughed and leaned in close to him, and very slowly, very deliberately, licked her lips.

“You better learn some patience, Mustang, else you might not get what you want,” she said, and savoured the look of shock on his face for a moment before Ed leaned in and kissed him.

~

As the light slowly filtered in Eden watched Roy sleep, wondering what she had done to deserve this. The man was a patient, giving lover, and the night had been one of the best she’d had, nothing like the quick fumbles she’d had when she was younger. She supposed she should be a little jealous, because he’d had to learn from someone, but instead she was grateful that he had some experience.

She reached forward and traced the lines of his lovely face; she wondered what Al and Winry would think of him. She knew that Al wouldn’t like him at first, simply because he was protective of her.Then again, Al was also used to the men in Resembool who had no respect for her wishes.  _ So,  _ she mused,  _ he’s not going to like him at first, then he’s going to tolerate him _ . No matter how respectful the man, Al would never believe anyone was good enough for her. He was like an overprotective father that way, especially since their useless bastard of a father was had left.

Winry would be much that same, but she would adore him, simply because Ed did. She would also agree with Eden’s appreciation of Roy’s body. The man was hot and he knew it, and Winry would appreciate that. She would also love the man’s competence. Both Winry and Ed had a thing for people who knew what the hell they were doing.

“Good Morning,” Ed was jerked back to the present when she heard Roy’s rough sleep thick voice, and  _ fuck _ it was hot.

“Hello,” she smiled as she saw the utterly content expression on the man’s face.

“What were you thinking about?” he asked, voice gentle. “You were about a thousand miles away.” His lips stretched into a lazy smile.

“Might as well have been. I was thinking about Al and Winry,” She realized that she had never truly spoken about them to Roy before. 

“Friends from back home?” She was glad when he sounded genuinely curious.

“Yeah, no,” She laughed, “Al’s my younger brother. He really didn’t want me to come here, but he is the least soldier-like person I have ever met.” She felt herself smile as she spoke about her brother. “He’s the sweetest person I’ve ever met and I wasn’t about to let him go off to war when I could.” 

“You really love him,” Roy said, and she stared at him for a moment at that observation.

“Well yeah,” she said. “He’s my younger brother. As the elder sibling it’s my job to watch over him.” She was a little shocked as the man’s face broke out in a wide smile. “Why’re you smiling like that, you bastard?” she snapped.

“You’re happy,” he said and she could have hit the bastard if she could be bothered to move her arm.

“So, Winry,” she changed the topic quickly before the bastard could say any more stupid things, “She’s basically my sister. I call her parents my Aunt and Uncle because we were that close. She and I were really popular back home, but neither of us really cared. All she really cares about is her family, which includes Al and I, and automail really. She’s probably the only reason Al hasn’t come to drag me back home.”   
“Do you miss them?”

“Of course!” Ed said. “But as long as I’m here, they’re not. That’s all I can ask for. Neither of them are suited to war.”   
“And you are?” the damn bastard had the gall to sound upset. This had been  _ her _ decision, dammit.

“Does it fucking matter? I’m here, they aren’t,” Ed growled at him, pushing Roy away slightly. He looked hurt, but she refused to let it phase her.

“You are allowed to have your own life.” No she wasn’t, not when her brother could still lose his if she fucked this up.

“It doesn’t matter. If either of us were going to survive this, it would be me. Even if Al managed to survive, he would have gone mad,” Ed snarled. Then her face softened. “Besides, I have you now.” She smiled at Roy and he pulled her close. 

“I suppose that’s true,” Then he smiled and she could feel his joy practically radiating from his body, “I love you.”

~

Eden’s worries about Roy’s sexuality got worse after that night. He was kind and sweet, but still a fucking bastard. Nothing much changed, other than small signs of affection, and for that she was glad. The only true problem was the constant worry about his sexuality.

Eden knew that Roy loved her, but she still had her doubts since she  _ had _ lied to him. She realized that Roy had noticed something was up during another night they had spent together.

“Hey.” Roy had called Ed’s name as she stared at the side of the tent. “What’s wrong? You’re not usually this quiet.”

“Nothing,” she had assured him, and he had responded by giving her a look that told her that he didn’t believe her in the slightest. “It’s nothing you should worry about.” Then Roy sat up, wrapping his warm arms around her.

“If it worries you then it worries me,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “You said it yourself; we’re in this together. If it worries you then it matters, no matter how stupid you might think it is.” He pressed closer to her, and she could feel the heat radiating off his body. She took comfort in that simple reassurance that he was alive and well.

“You sap,” Ed growled, and hit his arm. “It doesn’t matter right now. It has to do with shit back home. I’ll tell you when you finally get there, ok?” Roy pressed even closer and she could feel his smile at her back.

“Absolutely.”

~

She finally broke after about two weeks and went to ask Maes.

“Hey,” she called to him, and was relieved when he seemed delighted to see her.   
“Hey, Ed! How’s everything with Roy going?” For a man who was fighting a war, he was pretty cheerful.

“Really good,” she was sure she had a sappy grin on her face. She sobered quickly before asking, “I was just wondering; what’s Roy’s sexuality?” Maes froze, and his face turned to stone.

“He’s bisexual, and I know he denies it, but he and Riza definitely had a thing at some point.” Maes seemed to realized who he was talking to and rushed to reassure her. “Don’t worry, he’s really into you. Don’t buy into the stereot-” She cuts him off with a laugh and kisses him on the cheek. He looks a little shocked but his smile is gentle, so she doesn’t think anything of it.

“Don’t worry, I was just curious.” As she walks away she feels like she’d had the world lifted off her shoulders. 

Roy seemed to notice her good mood and seemed delighted that after her two-week long dull mood she seemed happy again. That night is a wonderful one, full of laughter, and she couldn’t ask for a better man.

Ed was still worried about how he would react to her lies, but at least she had a chance. Eden’s gender wouldn’t play into it; only Eden would. She didn’t let the potential of it falling apart bother her though, because in that moment she was happy and she couldn’t ask for anything more than that.

~

Some days Eden really, really hates battle. She had never really been on the same battlefield as Roy and Riza, but for once she was. The air on the battlefield with them was hot and heavy, and she could feel the tension in the air.

The day wasn’t anything special, just an ordinary battle, but she, Roy, Maes, Hawkeye, and Havoc were all stuck in the trench with nowhere else to go. There was fire burning around them, and explosions broke in the sky so it seemed almost endless. They were going to die and she would never see Al again simply because they didn’t have a fucking-

_ Oh, _ she thought because she had  _ alchemy _ . Granted, she had been keeping it from them, but if she could save all of their lives then she didn’t give a damn about her secrets. Her fucking secrets were not worth their lives. Ever.

“Hey!” She cupped her hands around her mouth as an amplifier, calling out to the others who were scrambling to find someway to survive this goddamn battle. “Over here!” It said a lot about about how much they trusted her when they all ran to her immediately.

She kneeled down and sketched a quick, if rudimentary, transmutation circle in the ground. “Ed,” it was Maes who spoke, but she ignored him, checking her work, to make sure it was enough. “What are you-” He was cut off by her pressing her hands to the circle. It flared to life and formed a shelter around them. She wasn’t called a genius without reason.

She slumped down against the wall of their shelter and looked up to see all of her friends staring at her. She scratched the back of her head and looks down at the circle.

“So,” she began, slowly. “I might know a little alchemy.” Roy snorted a little derisively and she flinched.

“A little?” Roy sounded incredulous, “I know a form of alchemy most people can’t even begin to understand and I can’t draw a transmutation circle that fast.” 

“I-I’m sorry,” she began, but was cut off by Roy pulling her close. She stiffened in shock, before she relaxed, because it was  _ Roy _ .

“I didn’t mean it that way, I was just a little shocked and stressed.” He put her at arm’s length and looked into her eyes. Those beautiful, dark eyes were as warm as ever, and she couldn’t help but smile.

“Yeah,” Maes chimed in, “Who the Hell wouldn’t want to hide their freaky circle magic from bureaucratic idiocy?” Ed let out a startled laugh, and turned to glare at Maes.    
“Alchemy is not ‘freaky circle magic’, it is a highly complicated and advanced science, and I am offended that you think otherwise.” She couldn’t hold her glare when the man just started laughing at her.

“Don’t worry,” Havoc said. “We won’t tell anyone. Though I that think if we did, Mustang would kill us.”   
“Or Hawkeye,” Maes chimed in, not helping. Or maybe he was helping because Ed laughed.

“We’re right here, you know,” Roy grumbled and she laughed harder as she patted his arm in fake consolation.

“Don’t worry, we always know you’re here. Your complaints tend to give it away.” Ed smirked at him.

“Hey!” Roy griped. “I don’t complain about  _ everything _ .” She gave him a look that told him just what Ed thought of  _ that _ .

“No, just most things.” She smiled, and not just because she liked to watch Roy squirm. 

~

However much they had joked after that incident nothing could compare to Roy that night when he held her tight and refused to let go. “I almost lost you today. You could have died, and I don’t know what I would have done…” He didn’t cry, not quite, but she returned his embrace with soft words whispered into his hair.

~

She had been on the field for almost four months when the news came in. Someone had caught wind of Fuhrer Bradley’s apparent plan to destroy Amestris from the inside out. 

When that news had come no one had known what to do. Did they go home? Did that mean that this pointless war was over?

They had to stay in the field for another two weeks before they were told that they could go home. 

She had run directly to Roy. 

“Roy!  _ Roy! _ ” She cried, sprinting at full speed at him. Ed was lucky that she was still strangely light, and that the Bastard was stupidly strong, because she had leapt into his arms. “We can go home,” she told him, grin wide. Roy responded in kind, pressing his forehead against hers.

“Yes, we can.” His voice was soft, the kind Roy only used when he was pressed close to her, consoling her. In this moment Ed didn’t  _ need _ consoling. She needed to drag him home.

It would actually be a while until Roy could see Resembool, considering that he was a State Alchemist, which meant that he had to report to Central first.

“I’ll come see your home, okay? You can show me all your old haunts.” Roy smiled at Ed, and by the gods it was a beautiful smile. Ed desperately hoped that she could see it again, even if he left her for lying. 

Ed gave him one last kiss, then smiled and left Roy, homebound.

~

Ed took the first train to Resembool; she wanted to get home as soon as possible. To see her brother, to see Winry. Ed was practically vibrating with excitement, and she wasn’t the only one. Resembool was only one stop among many, which meant that there were other soldiers, just as happy to go home.

It was, luckily, the middle of the afternoon when the train arrived. She only had one bag with her as she climbed off the train. Ed wished that she had called her family to tell them when she was coming home, but she also wanted to surprise them. Eden could barely restrain herself from running to the house, knowing she would only tire herself out. Hell, she was already exhausted from months in the middle of a battlefield. Ed was still vibrating though. How could she not when she was going  _ home _ ?

As the house came into view Ed could see the garden that they used to play in when they were just children. No one was outside, but she knew they were home. It was the feeling Ed always got; the feeling of  _ life _ . The knowledge that there was someone there. Al had always called it her sixth sense, and she had always hit him and told him to shut up. 

Ed opened the door into the kitchen and there they were, eating dinner. 

“Hi,” Eden said, voice about to crack, “I’m home.”

~

Winry and her mother cried, Granny Pinako hit her, and Al refused to look at her. She sat in their embraces, and tolerated Granny’s strike. It was Al that worried her; she knew that he blamed himself for the fact that Ed had to fight, but that didn’t mean he could act like a neglected puppy. It was  _ Ed’s _ choice dammit, and she hadn’t given him one. She loved him to death, but she knew that if she had said a single fucking thing he would have stopped her.

She could only take it for about ten minutes before she reached over the table and touched his hand. He jumped and turned to her, then Ed smiled.

“Hey,” is all she said, and suddenly she had an arm full of brother.

“I  _ missed  _ you, sister. I didn’t know if you would come back and-” and Al continued, spilling all his worries and fears about how she might not have come back. She held on to him and Ed rocked him back and forth as he cried, shushing Al gently..

~

Despite the fact Eden had been taking hormones the entire time, she no longer looked like a girl. Her skin was cracked, her nails were destroyed, and her hair was a disaster. She’d spent the last four months in a uniform, and she hadn’t had proper shower in just as long. Winry whispered a few soothing words before going upstairs to draw her a hot bath, and Eden knew that it would be damn near boiling, with oils that smelled like lavender and lemon. Al helped her undress, and she knew that she should feel at least some embarrassment, but she didn’t  _ care _ . When she sunk into the bath she breathed a sigh of relief. Winry grabbed a pumice stone and started working to remove the dead skin from her hands and feet while Al worked oils into her hair. She just let them work, still exhausted. She revelled in the smells permeating the room, and the feeling of something other than sand and grit on her skin. The only pleasant sensation in the damned desert had been Roy’s hands on her body.

When they finished that, Winry had her sit up so that she could massage Ed’s shoulders and back while Al worked on her legs. Together they got rid of all the tension in her body. When that was finished, Winry drained the bathtub and Al grabbed a towel. He rubbed her down and she was almost disappointed to no longer be wet, considering the limited water she could have had in the desert.

After that, Al found a large, fluffy blanket. He wrapped it around her, then guided Eden into her bedroom. She sat down on her bed, with Winry behind her. Winry began to brush her hair and Eden almost fell asleep at the sensation. Al grabbed her hands, and painted them her favourite shade of red, before he did her toes as well. When they finished her hair was dry and shining, and her nails were perfect. Winry grabbed Ed’s makeup and smudged some eyeshadow on Eden’s eyelids, then swiped some lipstick on her lips. Eden didn’t really like makeup, personally, but the fact that she  _ could _ wear it delighted her.

She had to blink, else she would ruin Winry’s handiwork, because it was all almost too much. 

They helped her into her underwear, and she leaned against Al, because she felt like she was about to fall apart. She was a  _ woman _ again, and it was too much. She had just gone through Hell, and she couldn’t handle the simple things that she had taken for granted. She didn’t regret her choice, but being  _ herself _ again reminded her of how much she missed it.

“Hey,” Winry called, and Eden almost missed it. “We made you something.” Then they bring out a dress, and it wasn’t one that she’d had before. It was red and black with a sweetheart neckline, and it’s beautiful and completely impractical, but it’s so  _ feminine,  _ and all her favourite colours. They helped her into it, and she sighed in relief. Then she wrapped her arms around Winry and Al and clung to them, whispering her thanks over and over.

Then they took her downstairs and there’s her mother and she almost came apart,  _ again _ , when her mother said, “There she is. There’s my beautiful daughter.”

“Oh dear,” Pinako cackled. “Looks like Al’s going to be throwing a lot more punches.” And Al cried out an ingnant “ _ granny! _ ” Eden laughed with them because she’s  _ home _ .

~

It was the next day when she told them about Roy, because she had just gotten home and she didn’t want to spoil it with her fears and worries. When she told them she was curled up against her mother’s side, wearing a skirt and blouse simply because she  _ could _ . She didn’t want to disturb the peaceful moment, but her mother gave her no choice.

“Okay,” Trisha said loudly, startling everyone out of the quiet. “Eden, I know something’s eating at you. What’re are you thinking about?” 

“I had a lover,” she said softly and then it all came out at once, and she told them all about Roy, about how beautiful he was, and about how terrified she was that he would reject her.

The one thing that made it better was Al’s promise to punch the man if he hurt Eden in any way. She knew that Al believed that if the man couldn’t accept her, then he didn’t deserve her. She agreed, but she loved him, and she wanted him by her side, confiding in all his secrets. Ed wanted to be with Roy when he ruled this country, and she wanted to comfort him when he was about to fall apart, the way Roy had done for Ed.

Her mother tried to reassure her, but it didn’t help much. Ed knew that she couldn’t do anything until Roy got to Resembool, so she pushed it out of her mind.

She spent the next two weeks getting used to her life the way it used to be. Ed went grocery shopping with Winry, which didn’t suck as much as it used to, got catcalled (fuck off, she had a boyfriend. For now), and she helped her mother cook dinner. Ed also tried to get used to  _ not _ being on a battlefield. She woke up in the middle of the night screaming, and Al took to sleeping with her so that she would have some comfort. She jumped at little things, like a spoon falling or Al calling them to dinner.

She was getting used to it though, slowly.

~

Roy walked up to the house in Resembool that he was told belonged to the Elrics. It was a lovely house, but he barely noticed that through his nerves and excitement. It had been two weeks since he had seen Edward. Now he was going to meet the man’s family, which was a little nerve-wracking.

When he knocked on the door, he was greeted by who he assumed was Edward’s mother. She took one look at Roy, and he assumed that Ed had mentioned him, because she had a very knowing expression.

“Hello ma’am,” he said as politely as possible. “I’m looking for Edward Elric?”

“You must be Roy then,” at Roy’s nod she smiled. “Eden!”

~

It was a warm day and Eden was wearing a blouse with a low dipping neckline and a skirt that hit her knees. She was reading a book on alchemic theory in the living room when there was a knock at the door. She didn’t really think about it until her mother called her.

“Eden, honey, there a man here for you.”  _ Oh shit _ was all that was going through Ed’s head as she walked towards the entryway.

“Eden?” she heard Roy question. Her mother passed by Ed as she stepped up to the door.

“Hi, Roy,” she said quietly. The man looked wonderful, the bastard. Roy stared at her for a few moments.

“ _ Edward? _ ” he finally said, reasonably shocked. 

“It’s Eden actually,” Ed said quietly. “I have something to tell you.”

Then she took his hand, and guided him down to the river, and explained everything to him. The fact that she’s a woman, why she lied,  _ everything _ . When Ed finished she looked him in the eye and said, “I’m sorry that I lied, I didn’t want to but I had to. I didn’t think I would fall in love with you and I’m not going to apologise for saving my brother.” 

Roy didn’t say anything. He didn’t say anything for a while, and she started to fidget, and she was getting more and more anxious until he spoke.   
“Don’t take this the wrong way or anything, but I’m going into politics and I was ready to do it with my gay male lover at my side. I was ready to do that, despite the risks, because I love you and you are so, so worth it. However, everything considered, you being a straight woman is so much better. Please don’t hit me.” Ed stares at him, because Roy still loves her, he still accepts her and he still wants her by his side. Ed doesn’t hit Roy, but she does kiss him hard.

Then Eden drags Roy into her house and introduces him to her family. Mom adores him, Pinako invites him to dinner, and Winry thinks he’s beautiful. Al threatens him, because that is his  _ sister _ , dammit. Roy seems suitably frightened, and they have dinner.

They get married the next spring. It’s a private affair with her family, and Roy’s team only. Maes brings his wife, Gracia, and their daughter, Elicia. Hawkeye is the Best Woman, and Al is her Bachelor of Honor. Her mom cries.

Then they move to Central for Roy’s political career and Winry comes along, while Al follows them because that’s what he does.

Eden makes the  _ worst _ politician’s wife. She’s loud, opinionated and she likes to turn the scientific world on its head every other week by proving that their fundamental laws are wrong. Roy  _ tries _ to act disapproving, but anytime he tries to tell Ed off he starts laughing.

Their life is far from perfect, especially considering that Roy’s a politician, but she’s as happy as she can be. She meets up with Winry, Hawkeye and Gracia once a week for a girl’s day, and Al, Maes, Roy and Havoc meet up on the same to discuss whether the girls are talking about them or not. (They’re not, but they know the boys think so).

In Resembool Pinako and Trisha cannot be prouder of the two beautiful girls, and handsome young man they raised.

~

Eden looked up at the stars from the balcony in her shared bedroom. She never would have guessed that this would be her life. She never doubted that she would be happy, but she had never thought about how happy such a simple life would make her.

She loved her family more than anything, and now they were alive and well. There was nothing else she wanted.

**Author's Note:**

> I live for comments and kudos


End file.
